Jurors see two sides of Houston man accused of killing neighbor

Published 8:15 pm, Monday, June 11, 2012

Raul Rodriguez reacts to autopsy photos shown in court Monday during his trial in the shooting death of a neighbor in a dispute over noise.

Raul Rodriguez reacts to autopsy photos shown in court Monday during his trial in the shooting death of a neighbor in a dispute over noise.

Photo: Brett Coomer

Jurors see two sides of Houston man accused of killing neighbor

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Jurors on Monday saw one side of Raul Rodriguez, who sobbed into a handkerchief as prosecutors showed autopsy photos of the man he killed at a party in 2010.

The jury also heard about a different side when a neighbor testified that Rodriguez, 47, referred to Kelly Danaher in vulgar expletives the day before he shot him.

"That was just Mr. Rodriguez," said Pete Fornols, who lived between Rodriguez and Danaher in a rural northeast Harris County neighborhood.

Rodriguez was upset by noise from a birthday party at Danaher's home, his attorneys said. He called police several times before confronting the partygoers with a flashlight, a video camera and a gun just after midnight May 1, 2010.

Testimony showed that Rodriguez also called Fornols 13 times the night of the party trying to get him to go help shut the party down.

Attorneys for Rodriguez have said the video, which shows the minutes leading up to the shooting, prove Rodriguez was acting in self-defense.

"I will defend myself," Rodriguez can be heard saying. "I'm in fear for my life."

His attorneys also took issue with prosecutors calling Fornols to testify what Rodriguez told him.

The jury saw the last seven minutes of the 22-minute video in opening arguments last week.

Since then, they've seen more of the video, which Rodriguez filmed as he stood on the street in front of Danaher's driveway. Music from a karaoke setup can be heard on the tape as Rodriguez says he is 200 yards from the house.

He flashed the party with a flashlight, and the partygoers came out to find Rodriguez shouting at them. He pulled his gun on Danaher who is walking out to meet him.

The situation turns more volatile as the partygoers, many of whom are intoxicated, listen as Rodriguez told a police dispatcher on the phone that he was in fear for his life.

Several of the men apparently rushed Rodriguez from the side and a gunshot can be heard before the camera falls and goes black. Two other men were also shot.

Rodriguez faces life in prison if convicted of murder.

The trial, in state District Judge David Mendoza's court, is in its second week.